Bag and sack closing device



e. HANKEL BAG AND SACK CLOSING DEVICE Filed April 12, 1954 Sept 24, i

Patented Sept. 24, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to bag and sack closing devices, and. has for its object the production of a simple and efficient means for facilitating the automatic closing of the mouth of the bag, and

5 also the locking of the bag in a closed position.

A further object of this invention is the production of a simple and eflicient means for facilitating the drawing of the mouth of a bag to a closed and tightly fitting position and at the 10 same time efficiently locking the mouth of the bag in this closed position. V

A still further object of the invention is the production of a simple and efiicient locking means for a bag closing device wherein the lock- 15 ing means comprises av rotating knob member having a cam slot formed therein in which fits a pin for drawing the supporting frame of the mouth of a bag to a closed and locked position.

With these and other objects in view, which 2() will be hereinafter apparent, the invention consists in general of certain novel details of construction and combination of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and specifically claimed.

- In the drawing;

Figure 1 is a top plan View of the bag closing device, a portion of the bag being broken away to show the structure of the supporting frame;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the bag show- 30 ing the improved closing means in an open position, a portion of the bag being shownin section;

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the bag and closing means therefor in a closed position, a

35 portion of the bag being shown in section;

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the locking means forming a part of the bag closing device;

Figure 5 is a top plan view of the structure shown in Figure 4;

40 Figure 6 is a section taken on line 6-6 of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is an enlarged section taken on line I-I of Figure 1;

Figure 8 is a fragmentary perspective view of 45 one end of one of the bag closing arms which is adapted to support the locking rotating member or knob and illustrating the pin guiding slot formed in one end of the said arm.

By referring to the drawing it will be seen 50 that I designates the bag which is provided with an open mouth or outer end II in which outer end is mounted a closing frame I2 which closing frame preferably. consists of four substantially similarly constructed members I3, I4,

55 I5, and I6, which are pivotally connected at their adjoining ends, as at H to form the rectangular frame I2 when in an open or extended position.

The members I3 and I6 are pivotally connected at their outer ends by means of a journal pin I8 having a washer I9 at one end and a head 23 at its other end. A coil spring 2I is coiled around the pin I8, and this coil spring is provided with extending end portions 22 and 23, the end portions 22 and 23 being provided with right 10 angularly extending loops 24 and 25, which loops E i and 25 are coiled about or around the members I3 and I6, as shown clearly in the drawing to provide an anchoring means for the outer extending ends 22 and 23 of the coil spring 2|. These end portions 22 and 23 are of material length and extend approximately one-half the length of the members I3 and I 6, as shown. These projecting ends 22 and 23 are adapted to exert an outward expanding action upon the members I3 and I6 to normally force these members I3 and IE to a spread-apart or open position.

The members I4 and I5 are similarly connected in the manner previously described with respect to the members I3 and I6 by means of a pivot pin 26 about which is coiled a coil spring 21 having projecting ends 28 and 29 similar to the projecting ends 22 and 23 previously described. These projecting ends 28 and 29 are connected to the members I4 and I5 by means of 30 the right angularly' extending coils 30 and 3I similar to the right'angularly extending coils 23 and25 previously described. By means of these springs 2I and 2! it will be seen that these springs will tend to force the members I4 and I5, and I3 and I6 apart, or to an open position to normally hold these members in a spreadapart condition to provide a rectangular supporting frame for the mouth of the bag II) when the outer end of the bag is unlocked or 40 open. The adjoining ends of the members I3 and I4 are connected by means of a pivot pin 32 which pivot pin 32, as shown in Figure 6, is provided with a headed portion 33 projecting above the pivotally connected ends of the members I3 and I4. Asuitable washer 34 is carried by and secured to the pin 32 and rests upon the top of the overlapping end portions of the sections or members I3 and I I.

The member I6 is provided at its end opposite the pivot pin IB with a laterally extending fiattened plate 35 which extends inwardly of the frame I 2, as shown in the drawing, when the bag is closed, this flattened plate 35 having a bifurcated or notched portion 33 to receive the pin 32 when the frame I2 is drawn to a closed position, such as is shown in Figures 3 and 5.

A rotating knob 31 is carried by the journal pin 38 which constitutes a pivotal connection between the adjoining or overlapping ends of the members I3 and I6 and this knob 31 carries an eccentric plate 39, which eccentric plate projects to one side of the knob and is provided with a cam or eccentric slot 40 extending from a point near the center of the plate 39 to the outer edge thereof, as shown clearly in Figure 5. This slot 40 is provided with an enlarged inner end 4|, as shown in Figure 5, to receive the pin 32 when the bag is in its locked position. The outer or open end of the bag l0 may be folded over the members [3, [4, I5 and I6 and stitched, as at 42, to protect the members of the frame l2, the pin 32 projecting through a suitable notch 43 and the pin 38 which supports the knob 31 projecting through a suitable notch formed in the fabric of the bag. 'The flattened plate 35, as well as the knob 31 and eccentric plate 39, extends above the upper end of the bag, as shown in Figure 2. The head 33 of the pin 32 will tend to hold the pin 32 from jumping out of the slot 40.

The plate 39 is provided with apertures 4la located upon opposite sides of the outer end of the slot 40 through which apertures may extend a suitable wire seal 42.

The operation of the device is as follows:

Theouter end of the bag will be normally held in its open position, as shown in Figure 2, due to the action of the springs 2| and 21. This will facilitate the filling of the bag or the removal of the contents from the bag. However, when it is desired to close the bag, the members l5 and I6 of the frame l2 are forced to a closed position with respect to the members l3 and I4 so as to cause the members to extend in substantially parallel relation, as shown in Figure 3. The pin 32 will extend into the notch 36 of the plate 35 and by rotating the knob 31, the cam slot 40 will be moved into contacting engagement with the pin 32 for drawing the pin 32 longitudinally of the slot 40 and toward the pivot pin 38, which action will tightly draw the sections l5 and I6 toward the sections l3 and M of the frame l2, and thereby constitute an efiicient locking means for holding the sections of the frame 12 in their closed relation,

When it is desired to open the bag, the knob 31 is operated or rotated in a counter-clockwise direction for moving the pin 32 out of contact with the slot 40, whereupon the springs 2| and 21 will immediately force the sections of the frame l2 to an open position.

The present device is especially adapted for use in connection with grain, flour, sugar, and tobacco bags, and the like.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A bag closing device of the class described comprising a plurality of pivotally connected members adapted to be mounted in the mouth of a bag and capable of moving to a position to open or close the mouth of a bag, a pin carried by one of said members, an eccentric locking device engaging said pin for drawing the members to a closed position, and guiding means carried by one member and engaging said pin for holding said pin and members against lateral shifting movement and in contact with said cam locking member as the eccentric locking device draws said pin and members to a closed position.

2. A bag closing device of the class described comprising a plurality of pivotally connected members adapted to be mounted in the mouth of a bag and capable of moving to a position to open or close the mouth of a bag, a pin carried by one of said members, an eccentric locking device engaging said pin for drawing the members to a closed position, and a slotted plate carried by one member and extending across said eccentric locking device for receiving said pin and holding the pin and members against lateral shifting movement as-said eccentric locking device draws said pin and members to a closed position.

3. A bag closing device of the class described comprising a plurality of pivotally connected members adapted to be mounted in the mouth of a bag and capable of moving to an open and a closed position, a pin carried by one of said members, a locking device rotatably mounted upon one of said members and having an eccentric slot adapted to engage said pin for drawing said pin within said eccentric slot as said locking device is rotated, and a slotted plate carried by one of said members and being adapted to extend across said eccentric slot as said locking device is rotated and also being adapted to receive said pin for holding said pin against lateral shifting movement as the pin is being drawn within said eccentric slot.

GILBERT HANKEL. 

